Sources

The Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "The Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-kojiki-records-of-ancient-matters.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). The Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-kojiki-records-of-ancient-matters

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-the-kojiki-records-of-ancient-matters,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {The Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-kojiki-records-of-ancient-matters},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The Kojiki is Japan's oldest surviving chronicle, compiling the country's foundational mythology and early history, and this is Basil Hall Chamberlain's pioneering English translation, published through the Asiatic Society of Japan in 1919, one of the first scholarly renderings of the text for English readers. Its historical importance is real, it opened the Kojiki to English language study at a time when almost no comparable translation existed. Its limit is exactly its age: Chamberlain's language and some of his specific readings have been superseded by Donald Philippi's later standard scholarly translation, and the source record itself flags this. Use Chamberlain for the content of the Kojiki as this early translation renders it, and check Philippi's translation where the specific wording of a passage matters.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

Basil Hall Chamberlain's early scholarly English translation of the Kojiki, historically significant as one of the first English renderings of Japan's oldest chronicle; a dated translation whose language and some readings have since been superseded by Philippi's later standard scholarly translation, which should be preferred where the two differ.

Notes

Basil Hall Chamberlain's early scholarly English translation of the Kojiki, published through the Asiatic Society of Japan in this 1919 edition, historically significant as one of the first English renderings of Japan's oldest chronicle. Use for the content of the Kojiki as this early translation renders it; a dated translation whose language and some readings have been superseded by Philippi's later standard scholarly translation, which should be preferred where the two differ.

Citation

Author

Basil Hall Chamberlain

Publisher

Asiatic Society of Japan / Internet Sacred Text Archive

Publication Year

1919

URL

https://sacred-texts.com/shi/kj/

Source Type

primary-text

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Japan

This source names Japan directly: "The Kojiki is Japan's oldest surviving chronicle, compiling the country's foundational mythology and early history, and this is Basil Hall Chamberlain's pioneering English translation, published..."

Source The Kojiki: Records of Ancient MattersBasil Hall Chamberlain

Claims Backed By This Source (74 claims)

This source backs 74 claims across the atlas. As facts: 47 well-attested. As cited relationships: 13 holds, 2 connected. Plus 12 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Myths & Sacred Narratives, 19 claims: 10 well-attested, 7 holds, 2 general references.
Passages, 18 claims: 14 well-attested, 2 holds, 2 general references.
Scripture Portions, 12 claims: 6 well-attested, 3 holds, 3 general references.
Articles, 11 claims: 7 well-attested, 2 connected, 2 general references.
Sources, 9 claims: 8 well-attested, 1 holds.
Textual Witnesses, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
Denominations, 1 claims: 1 general references.
Sacred Sites, 1 claims: 1 general references.